A decade ago I was writing my first book. It was a huge project, one of the most involved I ever attempted up to that point. Faced with such a daunting task, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed but sentence-by-sentence, chapter-by-chapter, the book came together.

Thinking back to that time, I (actually Joe and I) had no five or ten-year master plan for OST Publications. It came together one book project at a time, one learning curve at a time. Some things worked, others didn’t.

In a similar way, our modeling happens one project at a time. We learn a new technique, try a different product, or explore a new material. Some things work, others prove to be a poor fit. Step-by-step however, our modeling advances, our capacity for learning increases, and soon we’re doing projects we could once only dream of tackling.

We think we can plan for every contingency until the unexpected pops up, laying waste to such foolishness. These days I’m happy to spend time at the bench, without any deadlines hovering over my shoulder. I’m happy to play around with a project and try new things. I’m happy to discover whatever the time spent has to teach me. It’s simply an opinion, but I feel this is the essence of a hobby. It’s a time, a place and a way to discover who I am currently but also who I could be. Here’s a toast to more enjoyable modeling in the year ahead.

Hopefully you have noticed the website is back up. I’ve worked hard to ensure everything functions properly. However, if you find a glitch or are confused by something, please let me know, so I can address the issue.

Mike